Lunar Chronicles Tumblr Prompts
by zissa
Summary: Shippy prompt fills from our favorite book series.
1. Kaider - Dancing

**Prompt: Kaider - dancing.**

The last time Kai had danced with a Lunar queen, he had wanted nothing more than to dance with literally _anyone_ else. Even Queen Camilla, who stepped on his toes during every single dance she'd ever attended in the Commonwealth, or one of those giggly New Beijing fangirls, who spent most of every waltz blushing and stuttering, would have been preferable to whirling around the dance floor with gritted teeth and Levana in his arms.

But this year was different.

Kai stood at attention at the foot of the stairs, watching as the second Lunar queen in as many years made her grand entrance to the 127th Annual Peace Festival, the silver fabric of her elegant gown shimmering under the dazzling light of a thousand paper lanterns, while the gleaming metal of her cybernetic hand winked with every step she took. Kai grinned as her foot caught in the hem of the dress and she stumbled briefly, righting herself before the newsfeed journalists could catch the mistake and continuing just as majestically as before. Kai liked this one _much_ better than her predecessor.

"You look wonderful, Your Majesty." He bent in a formal bow as Cinder reached the bottom step, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. The ballroom had gone silent, but for the clicks of hundreds of cameras capturing the image that would be plastered over every feed on two worlds by morning. It was…symbolic. One year ago today, the same girl had come down the same stairs with a foot several times too small and sparked a revolution. Today, she floated down them in a crown to celebrate peace, both international and intergalactic. Kai rose, chuckling at the deer-in-the-headlights look on Cinder's face. And she hadn't changed a bit. "Please don't faint."

"Don't even joke." She matched his whisper, even as she smiled her greeting to the various members of the Earthen Union. "That's a very real possibility at this point."

"Is not. You're doing great." Kai countered as her hand settled into the crook of his elbow and they made their way into the center of the dance floor for the ceremonial first dance, traditionally reserved for the current emperor and empress. Or, in the event of an unmarried monarch, the guest of their choosing. It hadn't been a tough decision in Kai's case. Cinder flashed that uneasy little smile that he'd learned was her equivalent of blushing; it was a lot cuter, in his opinion.

"Well, at least I didn't _fall_ down the stairs this time. That's always a plus."

Kai laughed outright this time, the sound drowned out by the opening notes of the waltz. Cinder dropped into a curtsy that was still slightly stiff, but much improved from the last official function, and Kai bowed deeply in return before sliding an arm around her waist and drawing her close. Her right hand was warm in his, while he could feel the cool metal of her left through the silk of his formal shirt. It was a refreshing bit of relief against the heat of a packed ballroom in summer. A welcome change that he hadn't missed until he felt it. Just like Cinder.

"Your dancing's improved, too. Told you you were doing great." Kai murmured as they swirled over the hardwood, the colorful ball gowns and vibrant decorations blurring into an unimportant background for the girl in his arms. Cinder grinned.

"I had a good teacher." That had been one of her crash courses in royalty that neither of them had minded. The smile became a rueful smirk, then. "And way too many official functions to practice at."

"Well, get used to it." He lowered his voice as the music started to die away, replaced by the thunderous applause common to the end of the opening dance. They spun to a stop where they'd begun, in the center of the dance floor. "You know, the emperor has to open this thing every year. With the empress."

Cinder glanced up at him as the dancefloor began to flood with other couples, another song roaring to life from the orchestra pit, deafening even over the rustle of silk skirts and the tap of dancing shoes. She smiled, dark eyes warm as they scanned his face, his eyes…his lips. "So I've heard. Guess we've got a lot more practice in store, then."

"A _lot_ more." Kai tugged her closer again—closer than Torin would've approved of, now that the cameras were off of them, and Cinder offered no objection—and started swaying to the new song. He let his eyes fall shut, smiling to himself. This time last year, he'd been certain he'd never be happy again, let alone this happy. He was glad to be wrong.


	2. Wolflet - Pizza

**Prompt: Wolflet - Pizza**

It smelled simultaneously like tomatoes and very, very _not_ like tomatoes. Wolf wasn't quite sure what to make of the flat, steaming pancake of a thing that Thorne had just presented him with. Scarlet, crammed into the cramped booth next to him looked at him expectantly over her own serving of the…whatever it was.

"So…what's this?" The heavy scent of grease hung in his nostrils, mingled with the familiar odors of cheese and tomato, but muddled by a few herbs he didn't recognize and a meaty, peppery scent he couldn't identify. It tickled his nose, enticing in its richness, but more overpowering than most of the rustic foods Scarlet favored or the cheap café food he'd sampled in France. He'd tried a lot—a _lot_ — of new foods since the Rampion had left Luna, but this one was definitely…unique. Not necessarily in a good way.

"The best thing you'll ever taste." Thorne replied matter-of-factly around a mouthful of the stuff. Wolf wrinkled his nose and Scarlet laughed, both at him and at Cress, who was looking askance at her own plate and poking gingerly at its contents with a fork.

"It's pizza. Dough, cheese, pepperoni… _tomatoes_." Scarlet grinned on that word, waggling her eyebrows as she picked a pepperoni off her own slice and popped it into her mouth. "You'll like it."

Wolf huffed a skeptical sigh, but scooped the slice up in one massive palm, holding it at eye level for a final inspection. It left a great splotch of grease on the plate's wax paper liner and Wolf raised a brow, wondering briefly why they'd ruined perfectly good tomatoes for a dish that was obviously hazardous to the health. Still…Scarlet appreciated when he tried new foods. So, for Scarlet.

He lifted it to his lips and nipped off an experimental bite. Flavor exploded on his tongue. Hot, gooey cheese, spicy pepperoni, soft, yeasty dough, and bright, tangy tomato sauce, all in perfect counter-point to one another. He gulped it hastily down, eyes going wide as he stared at what he now knew to be a heavenly concoction. So maybe it wasn't as bad he thought it would be. All he knew now was that he needed _more_. Possibly the shop's entire stock. He took another bite, this time shoving half the slice into his jaws. There was a sudden flash from the seat next to him and he turned—still holding his pizza to his lips—to find Scarlet grinning at her port's screen. More accurately, at the photo of Wolf staring blissfully at a slice of pepperoni pizza that filled the screen. She looked up at his stare and her smiled widened as she reached up to thumb away a string of mozzarella that was clinging to his stubble.

"It's going on the wall when we get back to France. You're cute when you're in love."

Wolf swallowed his mouthful and smiled back just as brightly. "You would know."


	3. Wolflet - Neighbors

**Prompt: Wolflet - Neighbors. Sorry this one isn't as shippy as it could have been. Wolf just kinda...took over.**

During the first week after Scarlet and Wolf moved back to the farm, two neighboring families moved to the opposite side of town, leaving a trail of snide comments and nasty rumors about deranged wolf mutants in their wake.

During the second, a third family—the Bernards—attempted to start a petition for the removal of "potentially hostile individuals" from the community, but it only had three signatures on it when Scarlet had ripped it to confetti and flung it to the wind, along with a nice selection of French profanity concerning "narrow-minded idiots." They'd started construction on a brand new security fence between their property and Scarlet's eastern pasture the next day in retaliation. Scarlet was furious.

And now, early on the first day of Wolf's third week on the farm, he couldn't sleep. That was the problem with superhuman hearing sometimes. He was getting better at tuning out the background noise and the peaceful nature of the farm helped, but he could still hear the Bernard man from one field over tromping out to milk his cows at four a.m. on the dot every single day. The squeaky screen door would slam shut. Then heavy boots on a creaky porch that, by the sound of it, should have been replaced years ago, and Mrs. Bernard's shrill voice reminding Mr. Bernard to actually _wipe_ his boots when he came back in. It was the same routine every time.

Until today.

The screen door squeaked. The boots tromped. And then there was a massive crack, loud enough that Wolf jumped at the shock of it, followed by the sound of splintering wood and a muffled crash. There was a cut-off yell from Mr. Bernard and a scream from Mrs. Bernard.

Wolf sat up, blinking in the dark until his eyes adjusted, and considered. By the sound of it, that faulty old porch had finally collapsed. But that wasn't really his problem. These people hated him, _despised_ him…feared him. He couldn't blame them, really. Not when they had lived through the carnage perpetrated by men like him. Not when he himself had done so many things he regretted. The last person they would want to see rushing to their aid in the dead of night (or rather an hour of the morning that he refused to consider morning) would be him. They did have other neighbors, and it wasn't as if he knew for sure that anyone was hurt. He wasn't needed _or_ wanted…right?

His ears pricked at a faint grunt of pain, then at a desperate, high-pitched wail. A wail for help. Wolf sighed with resignation as he swung his legs to the floor and moved—quietly, to avoid waking Scarlet—to the door. He paused there and glanced back at the blanket-covered lump in the bed, smiling at the red ringlets spilling out of Scarlet's blanket burrito. Had it been only for himself, he might not have gone…but he had a lot to make up for. A lot to make up _to_ the woman he loved. And that was the sole reason he slipped out into the pre-dawn shadows to help the jerks down the road.

It didn't take Wolf long to traverse the single field between Scarlet's farm and the Bernard's, his bare feet silent in the tall grass despite the speed with which he ran, and the hateful security fence barely slowing his run. When he arrived, Mrs. Bernard was kneeling next to a mound of splintered wood and rotted trusses, tugging ineffectually at a massive collapsed beam that pinned Mr. Bernard to the front steps.

"Do you need help?" Wolf did his best to keep his voice nonthreatening, but Mrs. Bernard still squeaked and shrank away when he loomed out of the shadows at the edge of the yard. Mr. Bernard just gulped, his eyes sliding from Wolf's visible fangs to the gleaming points of his clawed hands. Wolf sighed, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. "I guess I'll take that as a yes."

He moved to inspect the situation and found that while Bernard's legs were wedged tight between the wood and the now caved-in front steps, they were not broken, merely trapped. Lucky. Wolf fingered the beam, the aged wood flaking off beneath his fingertips. Under normal circumstances, they'd need a forklift to shift the wreck. Wolf maneuvered both arms under the bulk of the beam and gently lifted it away from the trapped man's ankles, before flinging it effortlessly aside. No forklift necessary.

"You should have those legs looked at." Wolf said quietly, dusting on the rubble off his hands, glancing down at his gawking neighbors. "They'll probably bruise."

There was no response to that outside of stunned stares. Wolf shifted uneasily on his feet as an awkward silence stretched between the three, broken only by the first chirps and squawks of the birds' dawn songs. Gratitude hadn't been his reason for coming, but somehow he had still expected… _something_. An acknowledgement that he wasn't entirely a monster, maybe, or even just a smile would have been nice, but…perhaps he expected too much. He turned and started back toward the fence that marked the border between their land and Scarlet's. The line between acceptance and hate.

"Wait!" He glanced over his shoulder at Mrs. Bernard and raised a brow. She bit her lip, wringing her hands uncertainly. "We…um…Thank you. You had no reason to come here, but you did, so…thank you."

Wolf nodded, flashing a faint smile before he vaulted the fence and headed for home, his heart lighter than before. Scarlet was sitting on the front porch when he arrived, a blanket draped around her shoulders and both hands wrapped around a steaming coffee mug. She arched a curious brow at the direction of his approach. "Were you at the _Bernards'_?" Her tone turned slightly disgusted with that word.

"Uh-huh." He settled on the step next to her and wrapped one massive arm around her. She leaned into his side, warm against the chill of the early morning.

"Doing what?" She offered her mug and Wolf took a sip before passing it back. He smiled, turning to look out over the east field where the fence was silhouetted in the grayish dawn light. "Nothing much. Just…mending fences."


	4. Kaider - Birthday

**Prompt: Kaider - Birthday**

Cinder could count on one hand how many times the orange lie indicator had flashed across her vision when Kai spoke, and even those few instances had all occurred before he knew her true identity. Or at least they had until today. "Thorne's comm said the meeting's in Conference Room 3. That should be right through here."

Cinder's smile faltered a little as she let Kai tug her down the corridor, her steps slowing to a reluctant shuffle. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. She _did_. She always had. But after that had happened, all she'd been through, those orange lights made her wary, no matter who triggered them. Plus, it didn't help that it had happened today when she already so on edge. Honestly, was it really necessary for a whole planet to go into party mode for one person's birthday?

In Adri's household, her birthday had meant nothing to no one, with the possible exception of Iko. It was only another day on the calendar, an abstract fact that she filed away for use on paperwork or passwords, but that never had any real bearing on her life. It was…irrelevant.

Too bad no one had informed the rest of Luna—and Earth, for that matter—of that.

Even here in the inner halls of the palace, Cinder could hear the music drifting in from the parties on the streets outside, laughter and song and firecrackers mingling with the sound to form an absolute cacophony. She knew of at least one "Celebration of the Lost Queen" taking place in every sector, and a grand banquet thrown by the members of her councils was to be held in her own ballroom that evening. The Rampion, carrying Thorne, and Cress had landed yesterday, and Kai had flown in early that morning for the event, while several other leaders of the Earthen Union was scheduled to arrive later in the day. And it was all for _her_. The girl who'd never had so much as a birthday card before had two worlds celebrating her birth, and quite frankly, it was weirding her out.

"Sorry we have to do this on your birthday, but Thorne said it couldn't wait. Some message from President Vargas, I guess. You know how he is." Kai apologized as he pushed open the door to Conference Room 3 and gestured for her to precede him into the room, but…was he _smirking_? Her eyes narrowed. Yes, she could definitely detect a faint upward tug at the corners of his lips and a familiar mischievous glint in his eyes. That was…concerning. Thorne was usually the one of their group who got pegged as a troublemaker by outsiders, but Cinder knew for a fact that Kai had a wicked mind. And whenever he smiled like that, there was definitely one of his schemes looming on the horizon.

"Um…are you sure you have the right room?" Cinder arched a skeptical brow at the darkened conference room, pitch black from its lack of windows. "I don't think—"

"SURPRISE!" The lights blazed on and a cloud of rainbow confetti exploded outward. Cinder jumped, bumping back against Kai's chest. He laughed, arms circling around her reassuringly. A colorful banner, clearly hand-painted with the words "Happy Birthday, Cinder!" was strung up over the conference table, and a cake so sloppily iced it had to be Scarlet's handiwork rested in the table's center.

"Well? Did we surprise you?" Iko grinned impishly from the opposite side of the table, while the rest of Cinder's friends crowded around. Thorne, Cress, Scarlet, Wolf, Winter, and Jacin were somehow crammed into the space, all smiling (if Jacin's tight-lipped expression counted), all happy…and all here for her.

"If nearly giving me a heart attack counts as surprising me, then yes." Cinder grinned, shifting in Kai's arms to look shrewdly up at him. "Let me guess…your idea?"

"Guilty as charged." He didn't look one bit repentant as he bent to kiss her. His arms stayed curled around her waist even when they reluctantly pulled apart. "I know from personal experience that royal celebrations tend to be pretty impersonal. Definitely not special enough for your first birthday party."

"Uh-huh." Cinder has suspected as much. All the royal functions she'd been to thus far had been a little…well…cold, and she hadn't been looking forward to the birthday banquet for any other reason than the visits from her friends. This was about a thousand times better. "You didn't have to, you know. There are enough people fussing over me already."

"I respectfully disagree." Kai murmured into her ear as they sauntered over to join the party. "Because you're well worth fussing over."


	5. Kaider - Cars

"I can't believe you kept this."

"I can't believe you _drove_ this."

"Don't be a snob…I found it at a very nice junk yard. It's an antique." Cinder shot Kai a mock-offended look as she circled around a very familiar Second Era car, skimming her fingers along the rusted, yellowy-orange fenders. It looked out of place in the Imperial garage, nestled in a space between a bulky luxury hover and a sleek sports model, but the car itself was exactly as she had left it, even three months after the revolution.

"Well, I'm sorry, but it's still hideous." Kai grinned from where he was leaning against the hood.

"And yet _you_ still held on to it." Cinder finished her circuit around the car, smiling to herself at the bittersweet nostalgia stirring in her stomach. The vehicle may have resembled a rotting pumpkin in both shape and color, but it had carried her into the revolution that changed her life and for that, she would always love the dinged-up monstrosity.

"I'm sentimental that way." Kai shrugged, pushing away from the hood to saunter around where Cinder was standing. He ran a finger over the impeccably washed and waxed metal, and nodded his satisfaction with the work done by the maintenance androids. "And besides, I thought you might want it back someday. Had to hold on to it, just in case."

"Uh-huh." Cinder turned to arch a brow at him, a sly smile forming on her lips. "Just like you held on to that foot?"

"Pretty much." Kai grinned back and looped an arm around her shoulders, reeling her in tight as if to push away the memories of when all he had to hold them together was a discarded cybernetic foot and a battered sedan. Cinder leaned into the touch, her nostalgia replaced with contentment. The car was a reminder of how very, very far she'd come, but she was still more than happy to have that leg of her journey safely behind her and to be well on her way to whatever came next.

"Also, I doubt the junk yard would've taken it back."

Even if her co-pilot was such an absolute _snob_ sometimes.


	6. Kaider - Cuddling

Kai had expected cuddling with a cyborg to be…well…colder. Because metal was cold and unforgiving and tended to carry enough static during the winter that you got a nasty little jolt if you got too close, which made it a generally unpleasant material to cuddle with. And since cyborgs were half metal and wires and circuits, then it followed that cuddling with one would be cold and hard and static-y, but he was swiftly finding himself proved wrong.

Cinder was _very_ pleasant to cuddle with.

Kai shifted on the sofa tucked into the corner of the heated balcony of the Commonwealth's winter chalet, letting Cinder curl closer against his chest with a faint shiver. He wrapped his arms tighter around her torso and pressed a kiss to her dark hair. "Cold?"

"Not enough to go back inside." Cinder murmured back, still watching the millions of snowflakes drifting lazily past the boundaries of the heat shield with a wistful smile. "The weather controls back on Luna don't have this setting."

Kai leaned forward to let his chin rest on the crown of her head and rubbing his hands up and down her arms to warm them. He smiled, just a little bit wickedly. "You sure the snow's the only reason you want to stay out here?"

Cinder tipped her head back to smirk at him, simultaneously settling more comfortably into their cozy little tangle of limbs. She covered both of his hands with her own, the metal one warmed from being pressed against his sweater, and said, quite matter-of-factly. "No. It's definitely not the only reason."


	7. Wolflet - Food

Perhaps it was due to growing up on a farm that produced nothing but food items or maybe, as Winter often suggested in their weekly comms, Scarlet wasn't as practical as she pretended to be, but whatever the reason, she had always associated people with the food items they reminded her of. It was a daily reminder of those she cared for and a bittersweet remembrance of those she had lost. Scarlet dropped the heavy crate of this morning's produce that she'd hauled into the house from the north field for their personal use and paused to let her sore arms rest. And to ponder.

The scent of lemons always brought Cinder to mind. Bright and sharp, but sweet under the right circumstances, like the cake at her coronation. The tart crunch of an unripe apple never failed to remind her of Winter and those apple candies she favored, sweet and sour and unpredictable all at once. Emilie was the salty, frivolous flavor of a plate of French fries, and Giles was the rich, heavy gravy that was good in small doses, but unbearable in excess. And Wolf…Wolf was the raw tang of a ripe tomato, soft and fragile with a hidden sweetness that was easy to find if you knew how to look.

"I could have gotten that for you." There was a soft creak behind her as Wolf traversed the squeaky floorboards in the kitchen, his broad silhouette filling the pantry door as he settled his own crate effortlessly next to hers and frowned with concern at the way she was massaging her sore muscles. Scarlet smiled at his fretting-he had a tendency to do that-and stood on tiptoe to press a kiss to his jaw. Tomatoes were her favorite.


	8. Wolflet - Gifts

He'd spent weeks haunting the local bookstores to find the right copy. Hours in choosing the perfect wrapping paper. Seconds convincing Emilie to wrap it for him since delicate paper and uncooperative tape didn't mix well with mutated hands, but hey, it was still effort. It had all been effort, lots of effort, all aimed at finding the single most perfect Christmas gift available for Scarlet.

And now, on Christmas morning, when the wrappings were torn away and the gift itself was in Scarlet's hands…she was laughing. A soft, unbelieving little chuckle that had begun as a snort and worked its way up. Wolf wasn't sure if that was a good sign or if he should be offended.

"Well?" He cocked his head quizzically. Scarlet didn't glance up from inspecting the book in her hands. A leather-bound copy of Beauty and the Beast, Second Era antique, with swirly gold lettering shimmering across the cover and gilt pages gleaming in the sunlight. The thought had originally occurred to him after the first few months here on Scarlet's farm, after he'd discovered the bookshelf tucked away in the living room. Maha had raised him to always appreciate a good story, but his modified eyes couldn't take the strain of staring at the tiny print for hours on end and the bouncy, fidgety alertness that came with being a creature built for war made it hard to concentrate on reading. So Scarlet had read to him.

They could read together for hours. Curled up on the couch in a cozy tangle of limbs or sprawled in the shade of the woodlot outside, immersed in anything from a spy thriller to a romance on loan from Emilie, they would read. Scarlet's voice was enough to bring anything to life and her touch was enough to keep his fidgets at bay, making their reading time some of the most pleasant time they spent together. A book had seemed the natural choice for a holiday gift, and that title in particular had seemed…appropriate. But given, that she was laughing, perhaps it had not been. Perhaps it was too juvenile. Too selfish. Too something.

"What?" Scarlet's eyes finally snapped up from tracing the delicate lines of the calligraphy on the cover. She glanced at the faintly stricken look on Wolf's face and smiled warmly, flapping a dismissive hand. "No, no, no! I love it, but…just…open yours."

Wolf quirked a quizzical brow, but slid a clawed fingernail down the length of the royal blue package in his lap, splitting the paper efficiently down the center. And revealing a glimpse of shiny gold lettering. Beauty and the Beast. He chuckled. How appropriate. Evidently, he wasn't the only one who loved a good love story.


	9. Wolflet - Music

It was too loud. _Everything_ was too loud. Once he and Scarlet were back on the Rampion and all the distractions were gone, all the changes made to his physiology became much more noticeable. To him, at least. The doorways were too small for his now-hulking shoulders, the metal plating creaked more loudly under his bulk than it did under Thorne's, he'd stopped counting how many cheap forks had snapped in his newly strong grip, and everything was so ridiculously loud. Thorne's laugh echoing off the bulkheads, Cress's high soprano when she lost herself in song, even the engine noise itself hurt his delicate ears. The doctors he'd spoken with on Luna had said it would get easier with time, but Wolf wasn't sure if he could survive it until then.

Today, it was the music. High, swelling notes from some Second Era piece Cress was introducing Thorne to, and simultaneously driving Wolf crazy with. He'd sequestered himself in the furthest corner of the cargo hold after about five minutes, hoping the insulation of five hundred crates of plague antidote would insulate him from the sound. So far, no such luck. He sank to the floor with his back to the wall, letting his head drop against it with a thud. He screwed his eyes shut in concentration. Surely there had to be a way to block it out…

Suddenly, there was a warm weight in his lap and a pair of delicate hands covering his ears. He jumped, not used to the sensation someone else sneaking up on him, and his eyes snapped open. Scarlet had settled into his lap, looking up at him with sympathetic eyes. She didn't speak, just pressed herself closer. He could her heartbeat thrumming at her wrists, steady and soothing and surprisingly effective at blocking out the noise from the deck above them. It was…music, in and of itself. Wolf smiled and let his eyes fall shut again, his arms coming up to circle around Scarlet. Thorne and Cress might very well have been enjoying the concert upstairs…but this was far preferable to Second Era opera.


	10. Wolflet - Rain

There was a softness to Earth that Wolf could just never get over. Compared to Luna, where the very air was sharp with regolith dust and the horizon was outlined by the hard confines of an unforgiving dome, Earth was beautifully soft. The air was velvety smooth, soothing his lungs with every breath he took, and today at least, the skies were draped in a fluffy quilt of gray clouds. Even the rain currently pattering down over the farm was gentle as it soaked into the freshly turned earth and trickled down the corn stalks in the field adjoining the farmhouse. It wasn't like the scheduled "rains" on Luna, when the sprinkler systems inset in the upper sections of the domes opened wide, dropping gallons of water in a harsh, heavy, and efficient rainfall that never lasted more than ten minutes and was usually scheduled for the dead of night to keep from disrupting work. This was entirely different. More of a mist, really, Wolf mused as he stared at the fine water droplets coating the hairs on the back of his hand.

The tidal wave that spattered abruptly against his shins was not so delicate.

Wolf leapt backwards, his boots squelching in the mud. Scarlet stood squarely in the center of the nearest puddle, hands on her hips and wicked grin on her face. Wolf arched a brow.

"I thought you were you checking on the hens."

"I was. And now-"She stamped a foot down hard, splashing them both with pleasantly cool rainwater. "-I'm puddle-jumping."

"Puddle-jumping." That was a new one. He and Scarlet had been acclimating to each other's customs for the past year-it took a while given that they were quite literally from different worlds-but every so often she threw a curve ball like this.

"Yep. Second best thing to do in the rain." There was another bounce and another torrent of water. Wolf skittered out of the splash zone, but still got another dose of chilly rain on his toes. Scarlet just smiled, waggling her brows in a dare. Wolf chuckled, low and rumbly, before bounding forward and landing hard in the center of the puddle with both boots. If puddle-jumping was the name of the game, then two could play it.

Scarlet squealed at the enormous splash, but her screech dissolved quickly into laughter. Wolf grinned and flicked a stray water droplet from her red curls, laughing himself.

"If that's the second best thing to do in the rain, what's the best?"

Scarlet smiled, then reached up to snag his collar with both hands and pull him down enough to meet his lips with hers. "Kissing in the rain, obviously."


	11. Cresswell - Dancing

Actually being _invited_ to these shindigs rather than gatecrashing was a sensation that Thorne wasn't sure he would ever get used to. He knocked back a swig of punch, some heady fruit concoction only brought out for the Eastern Commonwealth's Peace Festival, and glanced briefly over the dance floor where Kai and Cinder swirled through the opening waltz, both too enamored with one another to take note of their friends on the sidelines. Thorne grinned to himself, eyes sliding slyly to his date. That was just as well. He was pretty wrapped up in his own date.

Cress was pressed against his side, her arm linked comfortably through his and her other hand resting on the sleeve of his impeccably tailored suit. She watched the solitary couple on the dance floor with a dreamy smile, her fair skin prettily flushed in the summer heat and her hair-longer now, since it had time to grow out-gleamed golden under the warm light of a thousand paper lanterns. Her eyes sparkled as they flicked between the whirling dancers, the bright, elaborate ball gowns, the blazing lights, and the colorful decorations, never settling for too long before moving on to the next point of interest. Thorne's smile widened at the wonder written across her elfin features and wished he had a camera to capture the moment forever. He'd lost that kind of excitement years ago, but seeing it radiate off Cress like the light from an old-fashioned lighthouse made him feel…more. More invigorated. More content. More alive. More in love.

The final notes of the waltz faded away, hidden by the polite applause that heralded the beginning of the next dance. There was a rustle of satin and silk and the patter of dancing shoes on hard wood as more couples began filtering onto the dance floor en masse. Thorne set his drink aside and swept an arm toward the floor in a grandiose gesture. "Shall we?"

Cress grinned and responded by setting off for the dance floor at a good clip, her gauzy blue skirts fluttering as she dragged a laughing Thorne behind her. The thought that he probably looked ridiculous getting towed around by a woman half his size crossed his mind briefly, but he didn't care. Cress was happy and that was all it took to make him happy. "I thought you'd never ask."

They'd come so far in the past year. Twelve months earlier, Thorne had been ensconced in prison, and Cress had been equally trapped aboard her cramped satellite. Both so far from one another's orbits that neither had known what they were missing. Thorne's smile dimmed as his arms closed around Cress, turning more grateful than giddy. His whole world had been turned on its head. And he couldn't be happier.


	12. Kaider - I Love You

Words were not their strong suit.

It wasn't that either Kai or Cinder was particularly _bad_ at them. They couldn't be, given that ruling-whether over a country or a moon-required a certain degree of oratory skill. Kai was an excellent diplomat, capable of concocting eloquent addresses in seconds or lashing out with a sharply sardonic remark when necessary. And, though less experienced, Cinder was becoming just as good at throwing together a rousing-if not quite as polished-speech, and she had never had trouble dishing out comebacks to particularly rowdy opponents.

It was only when they spoke to _each other_ that there was a problem.

Tender touches came as easy as breathing, becoming more and more common until shoulders brushed with every step and fingers threaded together every time hands touched. Easy banter flowed between them, and laughter followed more often than not. Kisses were magnificent, dripping with more than enough gentleness and care to spell out the three little words that Cinder found so hard to form verbally. It wasn't just words. It was _those_ words.

Cinder sighed over her port screen, spinning her chair in an absent circle as her fingers hovered indecisively over the letters on the screen. How could one simple sentence be so confoundedly hard to say (or type)? Even if she hadn't had much experience with love or the declaration of it before now, she certainly felt it and she should've been able to say so. She watched her friends say it often enough. Winter threw "I love you's" around as casually as if it were an assessment of the day's weather, Wolf and Scarlet murmured it to one another at every opportunity, and even Cress and Thorne could be caught exchanging the words with mutually adoring smiles…so why couldn't she?

Or Kai, for that matter. Three months into their post-revolution relationship, and Cinder was sure she'd seen him almost say it on multiple occasions, but catch himself just in time to keep the words from tumbling out. He'd cover it with awkward, hurried conversation and anxious looks in her direction to see if she'd caught the slip. Much like she herself had done on occasion. If she was correct, he was just as conflicted as she was. Just as in love and just as unsure in declaring it. They were at a stalemate.

Cinder took a breath, set her jaw in a firm line, and resumed typing out the last comm of the night to Kai. They'd fallen into a pleasant routine of comming back and forth throughout the day, beginning before their respective early morning meetings and ending late at night before they crawled into their beds, worlds away from one another, but as close as their messages could make them. Typically, the messages themselves were nothing of substance. Mostly sweet nothings, tidbits of gossip from the political grapevine, mutual grumbling about the hardships of royal life…unimportant chatter. At least until tonight.

 **Goodnight. Love you.**

Cinder found that her pulse was rising even before she tapped the send button. Such a small action-a simple swipe of a fingertip against a keypad-for such a giant step. It had been long overdue, really, but she still felt unreasonably apprehensive. Was it rushing things? Had she mistaken Kai's signals? Was-

Her portscreen buzzed, the almost instantaneous reply flashing across the screen.

 **Talk to you in the morning. I love you, too.**

Well, then. Cinder smiled, more broadly than she would have had she been anywhere other than in the privacy of her quarters. Stalemate…over.


	13. Kaider - Movies

"Don't say it." Cinder's yawn muddled the words, but they were clear enough to elicit a sleepy chuckle from Kai as the final frame of credits rolled by. He had been about to say something, but let his mouth fall shut. He stretched lazily, his muscles cramped from several hours curled together on the sofa in the palace's theater and his jaw popping with a humongous yawn of his own.

"Say what?" His voice dripped with a false, teasing innocence that tempted Cinder to either crane her head back to kiss him or lift an arm to smack him. She hadn't quite decided which.

"You know exactly what, _Kaito_."

"Are you possibly referring to a certain possible comparison, _Selene_?"

The given names only came out when they were both feeling particularly tempted to needle each other. Which often happened when they were both unspeakably tired, which in turn often followed the movie marathons they used for relaxation after hard, day-long council sessions. This particular night, they'd settled on an old Second Era film-Mulan, by name-recommended by Cress. Cinder was beginning to see why the girl had been hiding a smile when she recommended it.

"I'm referring to the fact that people fawn over the revolutionary thing too much as it is. I don't need you comparing me to a war hero, too." Cinder grumbled, while simultaneously burrowing deeper into Kai's warmth, her back to his chest and his chin resting comfortably on the crown of her head.

"You are a war hero. Just like Mulan."

"Yeah, there's only a couple centuries and a few dozen cybernetic parts to tell us apart."

"I don't see how that's relevant." Kai retorted and Cinder snickered at how drowsy-almost drunk with exhaustion-the words sounded in comparison to the last time she'd heard them. "You're the people's hero-"He paused to drop a kiss on the top of her head. "-and mine, too."


	14. Cresswell - Sick

For lucel18, who requested sick Cress being taken care of by the crew and for the anon who requested sick Jacin.

* * *

"Look, just eat it." Scarlet all but growled the words as she plunked a spoon in the bowl and settled the tray firmly in Cress's lap. It was soup, apparently, but it didn't resemble any soup Cress had ever eaten. Not so much a liquid as it was a dull-yellow sludge, it sat heavily in the bottom of the bowl, a few green sprigs of cilantro floating listlessly on its surface. "It'll help."

Cress lifted the spoon, letting the soup—curried butternut squash soup, to be exact—slough off in thick, grainy drops. She wrinkled her nose, half in disdain and half to quell the violent sneeze tickling at the back of her nose. She'd had more than enough experience with substandard food when she was aboard her satellite, and while she'd never had a bad meal from Scarlet, there was a first time for everything. Cress just couldn't quite bring herself to force a spoonful of the stuff down her throat. Not now. She was _sick_ , for crying out loud. She barely had enough willpower to eat the foods she liked, let alone the ones she didn't.

Scarlet heaved an exasperate sigh, dropping to perch on the edge of Cress's bunk. "It tastes better than it looks, I promise."

Cress arched a doubtful brow, hoping she expressed the full measure of her disbelief without having to resort to words. Her throat had been painfully raw for the past three days, and speaking wasn't high on her list of favorite activities.

"The curry will help clear the congestion, the warmth will feel nice on your throat, and the flavor is wonderful. Just _try_ it, Cress."

"I can vouch for the flavor." Wolf rumbled from the door, ducking a little to fit beneath the doorway. He smiled sympathetically at Cress as he approached before his gaze flicked to Scarlet. "We're approaching the docks. Might want to take over from Thorne before he accidentally lands us in one of the warehouses instead of the landing pad."

Scarlet snorted and there was an outraged bellow from the cockpit a few rooms away.

"I'm not _that_ bad!"

"You're worse." Jacin muttered, pausing as he stalked past Cress's doorway. He and Winter had hitched a ride when the Rampion intersected with Winter's diplomatic tour at Dublin, hoping for a brief reprieve from the publicity circus that raged around anything associated with Luna. Jacin sniffled faintly, freezing in place when Scarlet rose to pin him with a searing glower.

"Hey! You aren't supposed to be out of bed, either." He may have gained a reprieve from the publicity…but not from Earthen viruses. He'd picked up whatever bug Cress had almost immediately. Cress smiled weakly, a little apologetically, as she sagged back against her pillows with a cough. At least she wasn't suffering alone.

"I'm _fine_." Jacin shot back stiffly, setting his jaw at a stubborn angle despite the unnatural flush to his usually pale cheeks and the irritated pink of the tip of his nose. Wolf rolled his eyes and stepped smoothly out of the way as Scarlet beelined across the room to grab Jacin by the collar."

" _Stars_ , you two are impossible. You—"Scarlet stabbed a finger in Cress's direction, coupled with a stern, concerned glare. "—eat. And you—"Her fingers tightened on Jacin's collar as she began to bodily haul him from the room."—bed."

"Listen here, Firework, I don't need—"Jacin began, but cut off sharply with a wheeze that sounded vaguely like someone had intentionally yanked a bit too hard on his collar.

"How are you feeling?" Wolf turned on his heel and moved to settle on the edge of Cress's bunk, the mattress dipping heavily under his weight. Cress shrugged, then grimaced at how the movement disturbed her aching muscles. It wasn't as bad as it had been the day before, but she had definitely been better. Wolf frowned and reached around to fluff the pillows propping her up. When he was satisfied, he laid a massive hand over Cress's forehead, gentle and warm and comforting despite its size. "Fever's down…You should still eat the soup, though."

Cress made a face, eliciting an amused smile from Wolf as he nudged the bowl closer to her. There was a knock at the entryway and Cress glanced up to see Thorne hovering in the doorway, apparently having handed the controls safely over to Scarlet.

"So, how's my favorite patient?" He grinned uncertainly as he sauntered over to drop down next to Cress, curling an arm around her shoulders and drawing her comfortably into his side. That worried, hand-wringing uncertainty had appeared the moment Cress fell ill and it showed no signs of departing any time soon. Cress tipped her head to the side to lean on Thorne's shoulder. She would've found it kind of funny if she hadn't felt so awful.

"Here," Wolf picked up the soup bowl and shoved it into Thorne's hands. "Maybe you'll have better luck."

Thorne glanced curiously down, then wrinkled his nose. "Ew."

"It's _healthy_."

"It looks it." Thorne muttered, glancing dubiously between the murky yellow of the soup and Cress's pallid face. He said something else—probably a quip of some sort, since Wolf barked a soft laugh—but Cress found herself beginning to drift off. Her body ached and her head throbbed, but she was comfortably ensconced with fluffed pillows, a rather comfortable human pillow, and more people fussing over her than she ever could have expected. It wasn't how she would've chosen to spend her weekend…but it wasn't so bad.


	15. Cresswell - Rings

"It's nice; Cress is going to love it." Kai announced as he and Thorne stepped out of the jewelry store and back into late January wind.

"Hopefully…" Thorne murmured, a pang of doubt curling around his lungs. He lifted the ring to the light for one last look, letting the sunlight flash and sparkle through the diamond's prisms until he was satisfied before he returned it to its black velvet box and tucked it into his coat. It hadn't been the biggest diamond in the display case, nor had it been the most perfect, but Thorne had bought it. He had _bought_ it with legitimately earned money at a legitimate jewelry store. It wouldn't have been hard for him to… _obtain_ …a better ring. Something bigger, brighter, more sparkly…more worthy of Cress. If he could steal a ship, he could certainly steal a ring.

But that wasn't him anymore.

The modest ring now nestled over his heart would mean far more to Cress than a stolen treasure ever would. He _knew_ that. And yet somehow, it didn't feel like enough. Not for the most amazing girl in the galaxy.

"It's from you, so she's obviously going to love it." The words " _you idiot_ " were left unspoken, but obviously implied in the young emperor's tone. Kai tapped a button on his portscreen to hail the royal hover they'd come to the market in. "Did you decide on a date to pop the question yet?"

"Nah…I'm winging that part." Thorne leaned casually against the nearest lamp-post and popped his collar to stave off the chilly air. Valentine's Day was looming, so perhaps he'd incorporate that somehow. Maybe he could arrange a shipping contract that would land them in Paris for that particular weekend and get them a table at a nice restaurant or something. That would probably appeal to Cress's sense of romance.

"Speaking from personal experience, that kind of plan is a disaster waiting to happen." Kai said matter-of-factly as he yanked the hood of his jacket up to shield him from both the cold and the crowd swelling around them. He grimaced and gave a little shudder, as if reliving his own proposal. "You do _not_ want to wing that."

Thorne snickered. He'd been one of the first to hear exactly how that little incident how gone; Cinder had commed him in hilarious detail the morning after. "I'll keep that in mind, Your Imperial Ridiculousness."

"You better. Iko says Cress is already rehearsing her acceptance speech." Kai paused, his face taking on an uneasy look. A thoughtful frown creased his brow and his lips parted, but no sound came immediately as he debated exactly how to word whatever was on his mind. Finally, he gathered himself, cleared his throat and spoke. "And speaking of Cress…there's something we—the rest of us as a group, I mean—felt we should say to you. You know, regarding your relationship with Cress."

Thorne blinked, cocking his head for a moment before the realization hit him.

Oh.

 _Oh._

Thorne swallowed and glanced away, his eyes roving over the impeccable storefronts and bright awnings, but not really seeing them. It was just like every date he'd had in high school, where he'd arrive at the girl's home only to find her father on the front porch waiting to give him a stern lecture on exactly what excruciatingly painful comeuppance would await him if he were to trifle with the emotions of the girl in question.

It…it made sense. The gang had every reason to be concerned. Seeing someone as innocent, as kind, as _purely good_ as Cress joining her life to someone like Thorne—even if he was their friend, too—would definitely be enough to warrant a warning. He…understood. Even if there was a faint sting of disappointment in his chest when he pasted a grin on his face and reached out to clap Kai on the shoulder.

"Hey, no worries. I got it. The usual hurt-her-and-you're-dead speech, right? I understand perfectly." Thorne moved to plop himself down and perch on the curb to wait for the hover.

"'Speech?' Wait, what?" Kai sputtered, his frown only deepening as he too dropped—far less gracefully—to the curb. "No! That's not even close to what—just no."

"It's okay, you know." Thorne said dismissively. "I get it. Ex-con with a ray of sunshine like Cress…it's a valid cause for concern."

Kai scowled for a long moment, his eyes narrowing dangerously before he reached out to punch Thorne in the shoulder. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Cinder's rubbing off on you."

"Marriage'll do that to you. Now, shut up and listen to what I actually want to say…We're _proud_ of you, Thorne. All of us. You've worked hard and come a long way and none of us could be any prouder of you or of your decision in taking this step." Kai's voice went a little gentler and there was a glint of understanding in his eyes as he leaned over to bump Thorne's shoulder with his own. "I think we know you well enough to know you wouldn't hurt Cress for the world. That part doesn't need saying."

"Oh." Thorne breathed, all the air whooshing out of his lungs in one stunned breath. The hard, cold knot of disappointment that had settled in the pit of his stomach loosened. They had confidence in him. Confidence. _In. Him._

"I mean, if you want to be traditional about it, I could tell you that Wolf would rip your throat out if you do, but you probably already knew that."

Thorne snorted, but couldn't tamp down the smile curling over his lips. That was one image he could live without, but at the same time, it didn't bother him. Not now.

"Actually, so would Scarlet, for that matter."

"That is actually scarier." Thorne chuckled, leaning forward to prop his elbows on his knees. "But you can tell Scarlet she doesn't need to start practicing her murder skills. And you can tell everyone else…thanks. I appreciate it."

Kai nodded silently, a grin spreading on his face, too. Thorne let out a contented hum, and they both lapsed into silence as they waited for the hover to arrive. This wasn't the feeling he had expected to finish this shopping trip off with. He'd expected accomplishment in having found the right ring, excitement at the prospect of the event he needed it for…maybe even a few butterflies in his stomach. He hadn't expected to come away feeling humbled. Proud. Valued.

He liked this better.


End file.
